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We Like to Talk with People on the Phone

You would think in this digital age that we all would prefer to use an email to have our issues resolved. New research by Verint indicates that people still prefer to “speak to someone on the phone.” The human element is not dead.

In fact, the survey found that if people had a good experience with a human (in person or on the phone) they were more likely to renew their product or service (even if it isn’t the cheapest), more likely to sign up for loyalty programs and more likely to leave a positive review.

For a number of situations, from answering simple questions/requests to asking questions about a bill, the first preference was for a real person on the phone. Emails were first for “giving positive feedback.”

For more simple situations, electronic channels were preferred, but the more complex the task, the more likely the preference was for a real person on the phone. The study indicated that digital customers wanted customer service to be more intuitive and faster. But the surprising result was that 83% believe that speaking to a customer service rep on the phone will “always be important.”